Volley (shoe)

History

In that same year, the Volley OC was released. In the 1970s, Dunlop released a new style of Volley named the Volley International. The new model featured a revised style of upper and a direct-injection thermoplastic sole. From 1978 to 1985, there was a large volume of sales of the Volley in Australia. It became virtually the standard tennis shoe, and was also popular with roofers, who needed a sure foothold on sloping roof surfaces, wood choppers, painters and hikers. In 1976, Mark Edmondson won the Australian Open, wearing Dunlop Volleys, putting them back into the spotlight.

During the early 1980s, Dunlop briefly sold a "basketball boot" version of the Volley International, which covered the ankle. Those shoes, which had the high-grip herringbone tread, were highly prized by rafters and bushwalkers, who appreciated the lighter weight compared with hiking boots, the dissipation of the friction point at the heel, the reduced entry of sand and debris, and the protection to the ankles against knocks from rocks when wading in rapids. The cotton canvas around the ankle was a seamless extension of the Volley's uppers. It did not seek to support the ankle, only protect it. However, by 1983, the boot was unavailable.

Dunlop Volleys were standard issue by the Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force until the late 1980s, and are still issued by the Royal Australian Navy, although sometimes the Spalding imitation shoe is substituted.

In 1998, Dunlop Footwear moved production offshore and, in 2004, Dunlop Sport became part of the Pacific Brands group. By 2009, the Dunlop volley brand was diluted with a vast array of casual slip on shoes, and plagued with production quality problems and constant supplier changes.

In 2011, Dunlop created Volley as a stand-alone brand, reverting the "Volley International" to its 1970s design, and brought the original OC and SS shoes back into the product range. By 2012, Volley had released the "High Leap" variation of the International.

From 2014 to 2017, Volley released some new styles which included the "Grass-Court", launched in collaboration with the Tony Bianco footwear brand, and helped Volley elevate the brand, with the Volleys retailing at over AUD100. Those styles harked back to some of the iconic tennis silhouettes of older Dunlop brands.

The Dunlop Volley was part of the official uniform of the Australian Olympic team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Dunlop Volleys have been the shoe of choice for Australian canyoners since the inception of the sport, due their grip on wet, slippery rocks.

References

References

1. "Classic". Dunlop Sport.
2. Atkinson, Bruce. (30 March 2011). "Volleys in as Olympics go casual". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
3. "Dunlop Volley".
4. Harms, John. (17 January 2004). "Why I love... Dunlop Volleys". The Age.
5. (2012-01-28). "Review: Dunlop Volley".